A Billionaire for Christmas (19 page)

She pressed the green button on her phone.

“Gwen, this is your father.”

He started every conversation with her just this way. As though caller ID didn’t exist, or she wouldn’t recognize his voice. Perhaps he just needed to confirm that she understood his position in her life. Never “hi” or “how are you.” No, Brighton Fleming was much too formal for that.

“Hi, Daddy.” Gwen cleared her throat and tried desperately to sound like the grown up, successful woman she knew she was, instead of the child who had shivered and trembled every time her father had yelled at her.

“I’m working on a case. I’m coming to New York.”

Her stomach plummeted. Visits with her father never went well. He was unkind and cruel and dismissive, and after he departed she invariably ended up spending twenty-four hours in bed with a tub of cookie dough and the remote control. The man made her feel awful.

“That’s great, Daddy. When will you be here?” Gwen ducked around a jogger and continued toward Tavern On the Green.

“That all depends. I’m working with the local office on a case. Very hush hush. We’ve got a number of witnesses who have secured immunity, and we hope to issue an indictment soon.”

Her father’s cases were all very hush hush, until they weren’t. He practically ran the Washington bureau, and was always flying to some local office to provide his expertise in criminal law and litigation.

“I expect I’ll be there beginning of next week. There’s a specific witness I want to speak with. Highly confidential.”

“Great, Daddy, can’t wait to see you,” Gwen fibbed. He was her father. How could she possibly tell him she dreaded an open-ended visit with him? She spotted Aubrey and Shelly waiting for her and waved. Aubrey had her hand on her giant belly, and Shelly’s giant smile telegraphed how excited she was to find a perfect location for her bridal brunch.

“Excellent. And Gwen, I’ve been following you in the papers recently. Some of the photos of events that you’re working on—” Daddy paused. Gwen perked up and turned away slightly from Shelly and Aubrey. Silence? Her father was speechless? Her entire life, Daddy had never had a shortage of topics on which to pontificate. Was he actually formulating a compliment? Gwen pressed a finger to her opposite ear, thinking that perhaps she’d lost the connection.

“Daddy? Did I lose you? Are you there?”

He cleared his throat. “Yes, Gwen, I’m here. Without divulging more than I’m at liberty to say, might I ask that you end your relationship with the Travati family?”

Gwen looked up at Aubrey and Shelly. She couldn’t believe her ears.

“Why, Daddy?”

“It would seem that one of the Travatis has done some highly disreputable things. I fear as our investigation progresses we’ll discover that every one of the Travatis has been operating outside the law. Gwen, I’d hate to see you further tarnish your reputation by associating with that family.”

“Further tarnish?” she mumbled. Impossible. What she was hearing was impossible…

“Gwen, I’m telling you this for your own good. I’ll see you next week.”

Gwen slowly removed her phone from her ear. Her gaze landed on her new closest friends. Oh my God, what was she going to do?

The End

Find out what happens in
A Convenient Arrangement for Love
, book 8, the Eligible Billionaires Series.

Thanks for reading
A Billionaire for Christmas
, the seventh book in the Eligible Billionaires Series. I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews help other readers find books and I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative. Please take a moment and write a review for
A Billionaire for Christmas.

The next book in the series is
A Convenient Arrangement for Love
, which is coming soon.

Books in the Eligible Billionaire Series:

1. Can’t Buy Me Love
   
2. One Night for Love
   
3. A Christmas Billionaire
   
4. Last Call for Love
   
5. Running from Love
   
6. A Forever Love
   
7. A Billionaire for Christmas
   
8. A Convenient Arrangement for Love
   — coming soon
   

Omnibus:
Eligible Billionaires Books 1-3

Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list at
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Visit my Website at
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You may also enjoy my Glamour Series.

Hard Glamour

Broken Glamour

Fast Glamour

Easy Glamour

Luxe Glamour

Impossible Glamour

Omnibus:
The Glamour Series Books 1-3

The Hollywood Girls Club Series

Hollywood Girls Club

Secrets of the Hollywood Girls Club

Hollywood Hit

Hollywood Girls Club the Series

The Eligible Billionaires Series

Can’t Buy Me Love

One Night for Love

A Christmas Billionaire

Last Call for Love

Running from Love

A Forever Love

A Billionaire for Christmas

A Convenient Arrangement for Love
– coming soon

Eligible Billionaires Books 1-3

The Powder Springs Series

Courting Trouble

The Christmas Wish

The Christmas Promise
– coming soon

The Glamour Series

Hard Glamour

Broken Glamour

Fast Glamour

Easy Glamour

Luxe Glamour

Impossible Glamour

The Glamour Series Books 1-3

Maggie Marr is an attorney, author, and producer. She began her career in the entertainment industry pushing the mail cart but rose to the position of motion picture literary agent. She has written for TV, film, and celebrities. Maggie has been featured on KCRW's
The Business
and reviewed by
Publishers Weekly
,
Kirkus
, and
Romantic Times
. She lives in LA with her family.

Maggie is eternally grateful for the graciousness and support of her readers.

Please visit her Website at:
http://www.maggiemarr.net
.

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/maggiemarr

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Marr-Books/168071873226783?ref=ts

Thank you to my readers. Thank you to my agent, Kristin Nelson, and her entire team at NLA. Thank you to Lori Bennett of the NLA DLP. Thank you to Angie Hodapp for her interior design of all my paperbacks. Thank you to Kim Killion for another great cover and for the entire vision for the
Eligible Billionaires Series
covers. Thank you to Jennifer Brown, my editor, who makes my books look good. Sarah Altman, virtual assistant extraordinaire, thank you.

Thank you to RWA, LARA, WFWA, and OCC, who provide me with loads of information and fabulous friends. Thank you to Club Indie and Marie Force and her self-publishing loop.

Thank you to an exceptional group of women readers who support my work and keep me motivated and moving forward: Lindsy Henderson, Denise Boyd, Kathy Church, Laura Akers Collins, Ashley Colon, Kimberly Dawn, Rosemary Feil, Roxana Perez Hidalgo, Debra Knotts, Melissa Lamoureaux, Megan McCauley, Tina Rucci, Vickie Cotie Schultz, and Amanda Weber, I appreciate each of you. Thank you for your kindness and support.

Thank you to my family and friends, especially Margaret L. Marr, Nancy Veskerna, Lauren Harrison, Gavin White, Nealie White, Linda and Bill Henderson, Lindsy and Mark Henderson, Eloise and Dixie Marr, Gayle Leftwich, Joyce and Tom Leahy, Paula and David Glasscock, Garrett L. Marr, Amy and Brent Zacky, Victoria and Karl Makinen, Sheryl and Steven Ross, Aaron and Lea Pfau, Peggy Cafferty, Maria Seager, Sylvie Fox, Beverly Diehl, Kady Ambrose, Debbie Decker, Christine Ashworth, Cami Brite, Chandra Years, Sarah Vance-Tompkins, Julia Blake, Jane Porter, Megan Crane, and Bob.

To my husband and my children, thank you for the laughter and the fun.

A BILLIONAIRE FOR CHRISTMAS

Maggie Marr

Copyright © 2015

All Rights Reserved.

978-1-62051-205-0

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